Leopard gecko eating, but not pooping.

[Elizabeth Freer]

Okay perfect! How much approximately should I feed him?

I have Chicken with Broth baby food, and Sweet Potato with Turkey, there was no plain chicken or plain turkey at the Super Store. Which one should I use or does it matter?
EDIT: The chicken has 13g of protein, while the turkey had 4, along with 2g of fiber so I am assuming the chicken.

Good label reading! Yes, chicken with broth will be good! How about YOU enjoying the sweet potato with turkey? Check the vitamin A content of the sweet potato plus turkey...high ?...at least vitamin A is super high in 100% sweet potato BF? Could lead to vitamin A toxicity for geckos? (Not making that up---unless an urban legend)

Experiment. Maybe 1/8-1/4 teaspoon per feeding every other day?

 

[cwatkins]

Good label reading! Yes, chicken with broth will be good! How about YOU enjoying the sweet potato with turkey? Check the vitamin A content of the sweet potato plus turkey...high ?...at least vitamin A is super high in 100% sweet potato BF? Could lead to vitamin A toxicity for geckos? (Not making that up---unless an urban legend)

Experiment. Maybe 1/8-1/4 teaspoon per feeding every other day?

Perfect! Thanks, Ill try that! He seems to like the taste of it, he began almost licking it off of my finger when I put it right in front of his snout.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Perfect! Thanks, Ill try that! He seems to like the taste of it, he began almost licking it off of my finger when I put it right in front of his snout.

Good, your finger is a 3rd option .

Try 1/8 teaspoon.

 

[cricket4u]

He is not "out of the woods" yet :-(.

Feed only turkey baby food or chicken baby food till you are certain the impaction is passed. Advice from my vet in the past.

I just want to explain one of the reasons suggesting baby food to anyone is not a good idea. Let's just say that the reason for the impaction is due to d3 deficiency. Most of these baby foods do not contain D3? Obviously feeding a food without d3 is not going to help intestinal motility. Instead under some circumstances it can add to the problem. This is why it's best to use a balanced product.

Elizabeth when your vet suggested it to you, I'm sure you provided all the information possible regarding your gecko's diet and husbandry in order for him to make that decision. He may not feel it's adequate for certain cases. Personally I would never feed baby food at all, but to each is own.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

I just want to explain one of the reasons suggesting baby food to anyone is not a good idea. Let's just say that the reason for the impaction is due to d3 deficiency. Most of these baby foods do not contain D3? Obviously feeding a food without d3 is not going to help intestinal motility. Instead under some circumstances it can add to the problem. This is why it's best to use a balanced product.

Elizabeth when your vet suggested it to you, I'm sure you provided all the information possible regarding your gecko's diet and husbandry in order for him to make that decision. He may not feel it's adequate for certain cases. Personally I would never feed baby food at all, but to each is own.

That's a good point. Out of curiosity, what would you then suggest as a food source in this situation? Could maybe the baby food be mixed with a supplement to make it more nutritious?

~Maggot

 

[cricket4u]

That's a good point. Out of curiosity, what would you then suggest as a food source in this situation? Could maybe the baby food be mixed with a supplement to make it more nutritious?

~Maggot

How many people have the knowledge to add the right amount to balance out the baby food? It required a certain amount of calcium, d3, vitamin A, vitamin E ect. There are very few products available such as Carnivore Care that you can ask the vet for in which all you have to do is add a certain amount of water.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I just want to explain one of the reasons suggesting baby food to anyone is not a good idea. Let's just say that the reason for the impaction is due to d3 deficiency. Most of these baby foods do not contain D3? Obviously feeding a food without d3 is not going to help intestinal motility. Instead under some circumstances it can add to the problem. This is why it's best to use a balanced product.

Elizabeth when your vet suggested it to you, I'm sure you provided all the information possible regarding your gecko's diet and husbandry in order for him to make that decision. He may not feel it's adequate for certain cases. Personally I would never feed baby food at all, but to each is own.

This leo has had a radiograph that clearly demonstrates a sand impaction.

In the very short term, you would NOT advise chicken baby food till the next poop?

The northern velvet gecko to whom I refer took about 1 month before the sand was totally passed and I followed the 3 step protocol I recommended above. Afterwards it was back to crickets, her normal diet. She's doing good 6 years later.


cwatkins ~

Can you get some Carnivore Care from your vet?

Cricket ~ do you know the fiber content of Carnivore Care and whether powdered fiber makes a difference here?

 

[Embrace Calamity]

This leo has had a radiograph that clearly demonstrates a sand impaction.

That doesn't mean there aren't underlying issues though. If it was calcium sand, then that was obviously the problem, since that's clumpy death in a bag. But if it was just regular sand, a vitamin deficiency (or a hydration or temp issue) could have made the risk much higher and could still be the underlying problem. Even Riverside Reptiles points out that sand impaction is usually a secondary issue.

I'm not sure what's been decided about the supplementation of this particular gecko (and how long it's been going on), but could a UVB be added while giving the baby food?

~Maggot

 

[cricket4u]

That doesn't mean there aren't underlying issues though. If it was calcium sand, then that was obviously the problem, since that's clumpy death in a bag. But if it was just regular sand, a vitamin deficiency (or a hydration or temp issue) could have made the risk much higher and could still be the underlying problem. Even Riverside Reptiles points out that sand impaction is usually a secondary issue.



~Maggot

Exactly my point. When the exact cause is unknown, it is best to proceed with caution. It is very difficult to find the exact cause in most cases due to so many husbandry flaws.

 

[cricket4u]

This leo has had a radiograph that clearly demonstrates a sand impaction.

In the very short term, you would NOT advise chicken baby food till the next poop?

The northern velvet gecko to whom I refer took about 1 month before the sand was totally passed and I followed the 3 step protocol I recommended above. Afterwards it was back to crickets, her normal diet. She's doing good 6 years later.

The radiograph will only show sand impaction, not what caused it.

No offense to the OP, but let's face it, not every poster is honest and all we have to go on is his/her word. There are people who will tell you anything in order to avoid vet fees. Elizabeth made me say it out loud.:coverlaugh:

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Leo Hades is a subadult at 9-10 months old. Many/most people really don't recommend trying any type sand till the leo is 1 yo. Cwatkins said that he had been housed on sand prior to getting him at Christmas.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

The radiograph will only show sand impaction, not what caused it.

No offense to the OP, but let's face it, not every poster is honest and all we have to go on is his/her word. There are people who will tell you anything in order to avoid vet fees.

Well and the fact that the gecko is still a relatively recent purchase (we all know issues can take a long time to appear and then even longer fix). As I recall, the gecko hasn't been on sand for a little while, so the impaction occurred before or shortly after the purchase. The problem is that most people who are really knowledgeable about leos don't use sand because of all the impaction fear (there are a few exceptions), so usually the people who have sand don't really know what they're doing, which is what leads to problems like these. I remember one person who was doing everything right from day 1 for their gecko but it still didn't shed properly, but she'd just purchased it from someone who was clueless, so it likely had a vitamin deficiency. The next shed went better, and the shed after that was fine. Point being, OP could just be paying for the past owner's sins.

~Maggot

 

[cwatkins]

The radiograph will only show sand impaction, not what caused it.

No offense to the OP, but let's face it, not every poster is honest and all we have to go on is his/her word. There are people who will tell you anything in order to avoid vet fees. Elizabeth made me say it out loud.:coverlaugh:

I have been honest with everything Ive told you... I don't really know what else I could tell you about his husbandry.. Ive taken a picture, given temps and the updates that I have done to his tank..

I have only had this gecko for a month and a half.. The former owners had him on sand and primarily fed him superworms. I learned that both of these were bad, and decided to never feed him superworms and switched him to crickets, and switched him off of sand after a week when I found this site and read all the posts concerning it.

And Elizabeth I will call the vet and see if they have it. Would any pet stores have it or no?

I wont be able to get any where until Monday since we are on a blizzard warning until Sunday, and places are either closed or close early here on Sundays. So should I continue with the baby food or no? I'm slightly confused now...

The exact nutrition content of this baby food per daily value and one jar is..
Calories: 140
Fat 10g
Sodium 46mg
Carbs, fiber, suger and starch have 0g
Protein 13g
Vit A 6%
Vit C 0%
Calcium 10%
Iron 15%

The above is chicken with broth, which is what I have been using.

Turkey with Sweat Potato is..
Calories 90
Fat 0.3
Sodium 35mg
Carb 20g
Fiber 2g
Sugars 4g
Starch 14g
Protein 4g
Vit A 140%
Vit C 25%
Calcium 2%
Iron 6%

There was no pure chicken or turkey at the grocery store.. I haven't been using turkey, but decided to add it just in case.

 

[cricket4u]

The picture posted was not the actual enclosure, but an example and it was obviously not suitable for a leopard gecko gradient.

When I first got him he was pooping regularly

from sand to reptile carpet

I have removed the calcium with D3 from his tank

bottom of his humid hide seems cold since it has a wet papertowel on the bottom and isnt directly on the floor.

In the past week he has eaten at least 20 crickets and has not pooped. Since Jan 1st he has pooped 4 times.... start keeping a log

gut loading them with carrots, potatos and apples not gutload
I have the hot side of his tank to be about 90-95.. I have a heat lamp, which is what I use. I have a reptile heat pad as well, but whenever I use it the tank gets too warm. No thermostat

Why he wont ever leave his humid hide? Hot area may be too hot.

You mentioned he was pooping and eating at first. However, he has not been provided with controlled temperature gradient which means he will have trouble digesting.

Please post a picture of the whole enclosure as it is now.

The vet must of told you more than he was just impacted. What was the entire plan?

 

[cwatkins]

The picture posted was not the actual enclosure, but an example and it was obviously not suitable for a leopard gecko gradient.

When I first got him he was pooping regularly

from sand to reptile carpet

I have removed the calcium with D3 from his tank

bottom of his humid hide seems cold since it has a wet papertowel on the bottom and isnt directly on the floor.

In the past week he has eaten at least 20 crickets and has not pooped. Since Jan 1st he has pooped 4 times....

gut loading them with carrots, potatos and apples not gutload
I have the hot side of his tank to be about 90-95.. I have a heat lamp, which is what I use. I have a reptile heat pad as well, but whenever I use it the tank gets too warm. No thermostat

Why he wont ever leave his humid hide? Hot area may be too hot.

You mentioned he was pooping and eating at first. However, he has not been provided with controlled temperature gradient which means he will have trouble digesting.

Please post a picture of the whole enclosure.

I changed the calcium to pure calcium.. I just didnt want him to get too much D3 since I read somewhere that that could lead to constipation as well..

And yes, he was pooping regularly when I first got him, however his poop was a light beige.. I thought I also mentioned this in a post earlier.

He now spends most of his time in his warm hide over his UTH. I also said I have all three hides now. I will attach a picture, you cant see the exact corners of the tank, I was just trying to get the pet picture possible to see everything. The basking light is approx about the dial thermometer (which I do not use anymore, it is just on the carpet) and the heat pat is under the warm hide and humid hide (the two next to each other).
I realize I need a 30 inch long tank, and I have been messaging people for the past two weeks about trying to get one off of kijiji, and I have been calling every pet store in my area to see if they carry thermostats, however they do not so I am going to order one. I do not have a credit card so I was trying to avoid online shopping as much as possible.

Hades is currently in a water bath, I normal do not keep him in this, I just thought this would be a good chance to get a shot of him.

Oh, and I didn't see your last question sorry. But honestly the vet didnt, I asked if I should feed him that night I brought him in, and they said offer it to him, because it wouldnt hurt to have something go in as the poop was being pushed out, and to continue with the warm water baths. Then they called the next morning to see if he had pooped and I said he did, and what I should do now, and they said he should be fine and to just give him some more warm water baths, and that was it..

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Hades is currently in a water bath, I normal do not keep him in this, I just thought this would be a good chance to get a shot of him.

Wait, what? You posted that exact picture 3 days ago. =/

~Maggot

 

[cwatkins]

Wait, what? You posted that exact picture 3 days ago. =/

~Maggot

I was just putting that picture in case cricket4u missed my post and wanted to see him, just making sure and to save having to look through the posts

 

[Embrace Calamity]

I was just putting that picture in case cricket4u missed my post and wanted to see him, just making sure and to save having to look through the posts

But he said he's "currently" in the bath because you thought it would be a good opportunity to take a picture...and then posted an old pic of him in the bath.

See, now I'm just confused.

~Maggot

 

[cwatkins]

But he said he's "currently" in the bath because you thought it would be a good opportunity to take a picture...and then posted an old pic of him in the bath.

See, now I'm just confused.

~Maggot

Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound like he was in it. I must have mixed up my tenses, I meant I thought it would be a good idea to take a picture when he was in a bath. I didn't mean currently, I just messed it up. I am horrible with my grammar skills... Sorry to confuse you again.
And I just re-posted the picture for easiness.

 

[cricket4u]

I changed the calcium to pure calcium.. I just didnt want him to get too much D3 since I read somewhere that that could lead to constipation as well..

And yes, he was pooping regularly when I first got him, however his poop was a light beige.. I thought I also mentioned this in a post earlier.

He now spends most of his time in his warm hide over his UTH. I also said I have all three hides now. I will attach a picture, you cant see the exact corners of the tank, I was just trying to get the pet picture possible to see everything. The basking light is approx about the dial thermometer (which I do not use anymore, it is just on the carpet) and the heat pat is under the warm hide and humid hide (the two next to each other).
I realize I need a 30 inch long tank, and I have been messaging people for the past two weeks about trying to get one off of kijiji, and I have been calling every pet store in my area to see if they carry thermostats, however they do not so I am going to order one. I do not have a credit card so I was trying to avoid online shopping as much as possible.

Hades is currently in a water bath, I normal do not keep him in this, I just thought this would be a good chance to get a shot of him.

Oh, and I didn't see your last question sorry. But honestly the vet didnt, I asked if I should feed him that night I brought him in, and they said offer it to him, because it wouldnt hurt to have something go in as the poop was being pushed out, and to continue with the warm water baths. Then they called the next morning to see if he had pooped and I said he did, and what I should do now, and they said he should be fine and to just give him some more warm water baths, and that was it..

now it looks like what a healthy geckos poop should look like, or atleast thats what I got from pictures off the internet. He has been eating steady now since about Jan 3rd, and has pooped twice.

What your gecko needs is proper husbandry. If you continue feeding anything without making the adjustments necessary, he will continue suffering from digestion problems. Based on the picture, your gecko has has plenty to eat, so focus on hydration as you are doing and do the best you can to stabilize those temps ASAP.